Tears Dry on Their Own
by Erzsebeth Bathory
Summary: Sadie visits Arthur grave and unexpectedly meets the infamous Mary Linton.


_He walks away_

_The sun goes down_

_He takes the day, but I'm grown_

_And in your way_

_In this blue shade_

_My tears dry on their own_

\- Amy Winehouse

* * *

Flecks of snow drifted in front of Sadie Adler's eyes by the time she began her hike up the slope that would take her to the gravesite. Her faithful Mustang, Hera, was hitched nearby, where she earned a much-needed rest after the extensive traveling she and her rider endured. Sadie's visit to Ambarino was later than she intended, but her most recent bounty hunt took her from one side of the country to the next—needless to say, it'd been well worth the reward. Yet before she could allow herself some well-deserved rest and relaxation, she wanted to see her old friend.

Too bad she wasn't the only one who decided to visit Arthur on that chilled morning.

Someone else was standing in front of the monument. It was a woman wearing all black: from the fashionable hat to the modest frock that reached down to her ankles.

Sadie was never one to be known for her subtly, so she didn't hesitate to speak out. She also had a hand hover over her trusty revolver, just in case.

"Hey! Who the hell are you?"

The woman gasped and spun around, her dress swishing gracefully across her feet. Wet, brown eyes stared fearfully at Sadie.

"I'm… I was…" the woman spoke in a tired, trembling voice. A tear spilled down her cheek and over a noticeable birth mark.

Sadie scowled and she relaxed her hand to her side.

Well, shit.

It was Mary Linton. Arthur's old flame. She recognized her from the photos she saw among Arthur's belongings. Sadie never officially met the woman, but she heard plenty of stories about her from the others back in the day. It was a general agreement that Mary thought she was too good for Arthur and would never approve of his way of life, despite supposedly being his true love once upon a time. Abigail was one of the only ones who liked Mary, and had hoped that things would've worked out between her and Arthur. Arthur being Arthur couldn't say "no" to Mary even though (in Sadie's opinion) she had him jump through hoops in order to help her out of her situations while still turning her nose up at him every time. It pissed off Sadie, but at the same time she knew it wasn't any of her business, despite that Arthur turned out to be one of the few people she could trust with her life when everything turned to shit.

"Mary." Sadie spoke her name as if it was the most foul-tasting word to leave her mouth. She narrowed her eyes at the other woman before she merely slogged past her in order to pay her own respects to Arthur.

"You… knew Arthur?" Mary asked, somehow not daunted by Sadie's clear dislike of her.

Sadie rolled her eyes as she knelt in front of the grave and reached into her pocket. She fished out a beautiful fountain pen she lifted from a previous bounty in Montana. Arthur would've appreciated it, maybe even used it to write in his journal if he was still alive. With delicate care, she placed it on top of his grave before she gazed longingly at his etched name. Charles Smith did a hell of a job with this whole set up.

More snow fell from the skies and Mary continued to talk, much to Sadie's dismay.

"Arthur was a good man. I always knew that, but I just couldn't let go of what I thought I wanted for us, for a future I thought we could've had together if he hadn't been so caught up with that lifestyle."

Sadie scoffed. "You knew what life he led when you first got with him. Arthur never hid who he was to nobody. He thought more about you than you did of him, even after you two were done for."

Mary grimaced as she glanced off to the side in shame.

"You're not wrong," she confessed weakly. "I found myself in bad spots after my husband died, and when I knew Arthur was around, I just… I fell back to what I was comfortable with. Even with his way of life with Dutch and Hosea and them girls, I knew he wouldn't turn me down. I took advantage of that and I felt truly awful."

Sadie stood up and continued to throw disapproving glares at Mary. Arms crossed over her chest, she squared her shoulders as if to challenge Mary or anybody watching to not even think of messing with her in her current state-of-mind.

"I'll give you this, Mary," Sadie said curtly, "you don't hide the fact that you've been a bitch to him when he was alive."

Before Mary could react to such an accusation, Sadie went on without hesitation.

"Other than my late husband—God rest his soul—Arthur Morgan was the best man I'd ever known. No man is perfect. No woman is innocent, either, but dammit all…!"

Now it was Sadie's eyes that grew misty with tears as she vividly recalled the many times she spent with Arthur: whether it was to run simple errands, hunt for O'Driscoll whereabouts, rescue fellow gang members, or just lazing about the camp. He helped her pick up the pieces of her life that she thought she'd never regain after Jake's senseless murder. Arthur deserved better than what happened to him.

Mary abruptly snapped. "I know that!"

Her own voice was louder this time and filled with conviction. It caught Sadie off guard to the point where she stopped herself from crying, but it didn't make her angry. Rather, Sadie eased back on her own temper as Mary went on. "I know, I know, I know! I knew it all along, but I foolishly thought that my loyalty to my father was more important than what **_I _**wanted! Instead, my horrible, drunk of a father revealed how low he could sink just so he could fulfill his own needs. Didn't matter what my brother and I wanted! Everything was all about what my father wanted in the end! He never liked Arthur, because Arthur saw him for who he always was: a terrible, awful man! I was blinded by loyalty to my father, and it nearly ruined me!"

Mary sank to the ground and buried her face into her hands where she violently wept. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed heavily. Sadie watched in silence, pleasantly surprised by everything that poured out in that moment. She suspected that Mary kept all of these emotions bottled up because she felt like she always had to present a proper front for the world. Society generally viewed women as meek and docile, the ones who stayed home to take care of the babies while the men were able to gallivant around and do whatever they pleased. That made Sadie snort inward. Thank God Jake and Arthur were the progressive thinkers, real men who made life worth living. They both viewed men and women generally equal to one another. Sadie would've happily died a spinster if Jake never came into her life, because she never saw herself as one to be tied down because others expected her to be the happy, submissive wife and mother.

Sadie carefully moved over to Mary, where she sat on the ground beside her. "Listen," she began in her most gentle tone so far, "you ain't wrong with what you said. I'm sure if you were able to think and feel what you wanted, maybe you and Arthur would've worked out. Then again, maybe things still would've fallen apart. What I do know is that Arthur never stopped caring about you. Clearly, he was a fool who still had some feelings for you until the very end. Seeing as how you visit him now even after it's been some time since he left us, shows you still got feelings for him."

Mary sniffled and nodded. Her hands fell to her lap and she watched as the snow around them started to cover the grass. Even Arthur's grave marker was progressively building a thin layer of white.

Sadie chewed on her lower lip as she watched Mary mulled over the life she let slip through her fingers. What she was about to offer was a gamble, but at the same time, it would undoubtedly be a chance to give someone else some self-worth.

"What're you doing with your life these days, Miss Linton?"

Mary cleared her throat and replied, "Not much, really. My little brother, Jamie finished college and got married. They have lovely children and they're doing alright for themselves back east. I'm just…" The failure of her own life became evident. "I'm just staying at a boarding house making a little money with dress alterations. It's not really what I wanted to do, but I have nothing else."

Sadie countered, "Yes, you do. Get up."

Mary gazed questionably at her. "Pardon?"

"You heard me. Get. Up."

The blonde stood up and relaxed a hand on her hip. A proud smile appeared on her face as she went on with her mission statement. "There's plenty of work for us women to do out in the world. Sounds like your daddy ain't around to spew more of his bullshit on you."

She tilted her head toward Arthur's grave. "You can keep coming back here year after year feelin' sorry for yourself, or you can come back year after year to pay respects to someone who help you become stronger."

Worry reflected in Mary's eyes even as she slowly got up off the ground. "What're you saying?"

Sadie let out an exasperated sigh. "I'm sayin' that you need to get off your ass and start workin' to making yourself feel better! Be free, dammit! I did it! You can do it, too! Doesn't matter if you're a woman or a man or whatever! Only person holding yourself back now is you!"

Mary rubbed her nose which was gradually turning pink from the biting cold air. She considered Sadie's words and after some uneasy silence the stretched to almost a minute, she finally acknowledged her proposal.

"Please… Help me move on?"

Sadie motioned Mary to follow her as she proceeded to walk down the hill.

"C'mon, then! We'll get your stuff from wherever you're staying and then we're movin' on out. The name's Sadie Alder, and from now on, I'm your boss."


End file.
